10 Disasters That Changed the Course of History
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VOICE OVER: Peter DeGiglio
WRITTEN BY: Aidan Johnson
From ancient eruptions to modern nuclear meltdowns, these catastrophes forever altered human history. Join us as we explore devastating events that shaped our world in unexpected ways. From engineering failures to natural calamities, these disasters taught humanity painful but necessary lessons that changed how we build, travel, and respond to future threats. Our countdown includes the Black Death that transformed feudalism, Chernobyl's impact on Soviet politics, the Irish Famine's demographic consequences, Pompeii's archaeological significance, and the Titanic's revolution in maritime safety. Which disaster do you think most profoundly changed humanity's trajectory? Let us know in the comments below!
Top 10 Disasters That Changed the Course of History
Welcome to WatchMojo, today we’re looking at disasters that played a pivotal role in human history. For our criteria, we’re excluding all deliberate disasters, such as terrorism.
The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster (1986)
NASA suffered repeated delays when attempting to launch the Challenger. Eventually, they grew tired and forced a launch in less-than-ideal conditions. Onboard was schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, who brought Challenger significant media attention. As such, they felt more pressure than usual to launch. Morton Thiokol engineers warned NASA about the dangers of launching in cold temperatures, which they decided to ignore. This decision proved to be one of the largest mistakes in space travel. The engineer's worst fears came true. The shuttle exploded horrifically, with no survivors. Since then, space agencies have learned to be as cautious as possible, and never to ignore their engineers’ warnings.
San Francisco Earthquake (1906)
America’s Pacific Coast is right on the border between two tectonic plates. This makes it a region highly susceptible to earthquakes. The most devastating came in 1906, primarily affecting San Francisco. To this day, it remains California’s deadliest natural disaster. Around 3,000 tragically lost their lives and 80% of the city was destroyed. Its primary impact on history was motivating stricter building codes across the country, especially in areas susceptible to earthquakes. It caused major advances in earthquake science, like elastic-rebound theory, which was discovered by directly studying the event.
Titanic (1912)
Before sailing, its creators were convinced the ship was unsinkable. This hubris led to overconfidence, safety oversights, and poor decision-making, causing one of humanity’s worst maritime disasters. It was equipped with lifeboats for about half the passengers, with a crew poorly trained in disaster protocol. It was a tragic example of the disastrous consequences of excessive arrogance. On the bright side, humans began to take maritime safety seriously. They applied this knowledge to HMHS Britannic, Titanic’s sister ship. This ship was equipped with enough lifeboats for everyone, but it would ultimately suffer a similar fate, sinking in the Aegean in 1916. This was because of a German mine though, a much harder disaster to avoid.
The Great Fire of London (1666)
In 1665, the bubonic plague returned to London for one last fight. In 18 months, it killed approximately 25% of the city’s population. Things got worse for Londoners in 1666, when a tremendous fire destroyed most of the city. Surprisingly few people died, but more than 10,000 buildings were destroyed. Estimates claim it did roughly 10 million pounds of damage, equivalent to over 2 billion pounds today. One consequence of the disaster was the first-ever insurance company, the Fire Office. They employed watermen to put out fires, if you paid a fee of course. Additionally, London was rebuilt with extra care taken to reduce the risks of fire.
The Dust Bowl (1930s)
The Great Depression was a time of severe economic crisis for the world. It was primarily caused by the stock market crash of 1929, but a few years later, the Dust Bowl would make things even worse. The 1920s was a period of immense wealth, where millions of acres were turned into farmland. It was an agricultural boom, which caused excessive farming that damaged the soil’s natural structure. This meant that high winds caused humongous dust storms. Farms were quickly turned into desserts, displacing millions. The depression was a man-made disaster, exacerbated by nature. We learned to shift our farming techniques, focusing on sustainable agriculture, which has thankfully prevented a repeat of the disaster.
Pompeii (79)
In the first century, the city of Pompeii was wiped off the map by Mount Vesuvius. It stunned the Romans, who opted to abandon the area for generations. Its short-term effects were significant, setting a precedent for disaster responses. In the long term, it became more monumental. This is because it was preserved amazingly well by ash, giving us a snapshot of Roman life. For archaeologists, it’s a treasure trove of information and has taught us tons. Fascinatingly, it’s also arguably the first natural disaster we have an eyewitness account of. These are two letters sent by Pliny the Younger, who described the eruption in terrifying detail.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011)
In 2011, Japan experienced the most devastating nuclear disaster this century. There were reportedly few (if any) direct deaths, but at least 160,000 residents were displaced, and few have moved back. It had a severe consequence, with the global attitude towards nuclear energy becoming largely negative. This is unfortunate since newer thorium reactors are exceedingly safe. Additionally, they create minimal waste, making them appealing, eco-friendly energy sources. For example, Germany has begun phasing out nuclear energy. China and India went in the other direction, with the Fukushima disaster convincing them to invest in safer types of reactors. Hopefully, these endeavors will be successful, which will cause a golden age for safe, environmentally friendly, nuclear power.
The Irish Famine (1845-52)
If you know an Irish person, they have an above-average chance of having hemochromatosis, also known as iron overload. People with it have more iron in their body than usual, a beneficial trait during a famine. This is only one of the many effects the Irish Famine had, a famine caused by infected potato crops. At least 1 million died, and almost twice that amount emigrated, many to America. Before the famine, 8 million people lived in Ireland. Currently, that number sits around 5 million, showing Ireland has never completely recovered from the catastrophe. It also fueled Irish nationalism, with Britain’s lackluster response intensifying resentment. Some historians even consider it a genocide, but others argue it was simply neglect.
The Chernobyl Disaster (1986)
Many consider the Chernobyl disaster to have been the most devastating nuclear accident in history. In 1986, the nuclear reactor failed, a meltdown that caused at least 30 deaths and the evacuation of at least 68,000 people. There were major design flaws in the reactor, but it was primarily caused by human error. A safety test was conducted during the night, by operators with insufficient training. The Soviet Union tried its best to cover it up, partially leading to Gorbachev’s Glasnost policy, which increased government transparency. While it wasn’t the direct cause of the Soviet Union’s fall, it contributed heavily. It also massively shifted public opinion on nuclear power.
The Black Death (1347-53)
Perhaps 50% of the population of Europe died during the 14th-century plague pandemic. It was initially carried by fleas living on rats. With little to no understanding of that fact, it decimated Europe. The immense death caused a severe labor shortage, which in turn caused food shortages. It weakened the power of feudal lords, shifting the balance of power from landowners to workers. Survivors bargained for better living conditions, higher wages, and more freedom. This shift also allowed the merchant class to grow, causing an increase in trade and industry in towns. Commerce was more valuable than land ownership, encouraging a consumer economy, and thus the rise of capitalism. So, without this pandemic, feudalism may have stuck around for longer.
Which disaster do you believe had the most profound effects on humanity’s trajectory? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to WatchMojo, today we’re looking at disasters that played a pivotal role in human history. For our criteria, we’re excluding all deliberate disasters, such as terrorism.
The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster (1986)
NASA suffered repeated delays when attempting to launch the Challenger. Eventually, they grew tired and forced a launch in less-than-ideal conditions. Onboard was schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, who brought Challenger significant media attention. As such, they felt more pressure than usual to launch. Morton Thiokol engineers warned NASA about the dangers of launching in cold temperatures, which they decided to ignore. This decision proved to be one of the largest mistakes in space travel. The engineer's worst fears came true. The shuttle exploded horrifically, with no survivors. Since then, space agencies have learned to be as cautious as possible, and never to ignore their engineers’ warnings.
San Francisco Earthquake (1906)
America’s Pacific Coast is right on the border between two tectonic plates. This makes it a region highly susceptible to earthquakes. The most devastating came in 1906, primarily affecting San Francisco. To this day, it remains California’s deadliest natural disaster. Around 3,000 tragically lost their lives and 80% of the city was destroyed. Its primary impact on history was motivating stricter building codes across the country, especially in areas susceptible to earthquakes. It caused major advances in earthquake science, like elastic-rebound theory, which was discovered by directly studying the event.
Titanic (1912)
Before sailing, its creators were convinced the ship was unsinkable. This hubris led to overconfidence, safety oversights, and poor decision-making, causing one of humanity’s worst maritime disasters. It was equipped with lifeboats for about half the passengers, with a crew poorly trained in disaster protocol. It was a tragic example of the disastrous consequences of excessive arrogance. On the bright side, humans began to take maritime safety seriously. They applied this knowledge to HMHS Britannic, Titanic’s sister ship. This ship was equipped with enough lifeboats for everyone, but it would ultimately suffer a similar fate, sinking in the Aegean in 1916. This was because of a German mine though, a much harder disaster to avoid.
The Great Fire of London (1666)
In 1665, the bubonic plague returned to London for one last fight. In 18 months, it killed approximately 25% of the city’s population. Things got worse for Londoners in 1666, when a tremendous fire destroyed most of the city. Surprisingly few people died, but more than 10,000 buildings were destroyed. Estimates claim it did roughly 10 million pounds of damage, equivalent to over 2 billion pounds today. One consequence of the disaster was the first-ever insurance company, the Fire Office. They employed watermen to put out fires, if you paid a fee of course. Additionally, London was rebuilt with extra care taken to reduce the risks of fire.
The Dust Bowl (1930s)
The Great Depression was a time of severe economic crisis for the world. It was primarily caused by the stock market crash of 1929, but a few years later, the Dust Bowl would make things even worse. The 1920s was a period of immense wealth, where millions of acres were turned into farmland. It was an agricultural boom, which caused excessive farming that damaged the soil’s natural structure. This meant that high winds caused humongous dust storms. Farms were quickly turned into desserts, displacing millions. The depression was a man-made disaster, exacerbated by nature. We learned to shift our farming techniques, focusing on sustainable agriculture, which has thankfully prevented a repeat of the disaster.
Pompeii (79)
In the first century, the city of Pompeii was wiped off the map by Mount Vesuvius. It stunned the Romans, who opted to abandon the area for generations. Its short-term effects were significant, setting a precedent for disaster responses. In the long term, it became more monumental. This is because it was preserved amazingly well by ash, giving us a snapshot of Roman life. For archaeologists, it’s a treasure trove of information and has taught us tons. Fascinatingly, it’s also arguably the first natural disaster we have an eyewitness account of. These are two letters sent by Pliny the Younger, who described the eruption in terrifying detail.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011)
In 2011, Japan experienced the most devastating nuclear disaster this century. There were reportedly few (if any) direct deaths, but at least 160,000 residents were displaced, and few have moved back. It had a severe consequence, with the global attitude towards nuclear energy becoming largely negative. This is unfortunate since newer thorium reactors are exceedingly safe. Additionally, they create minimal waste, making them appealing, eco-friendly energy sources. For example, Germany has begun phasing out nuclear energy. China and India went in the other direction, with the Fukushima disaster convincing them to invest in safer types of reactors. Hopefully, these endeavors will be successful, which will cause a golden age for safe, environmentally friendly, nuclear power.
The Irish Famine (1845-52)
If you know an Irish person, they have an above-average chance of having hemochromatosis, also known as iron overload. People with it have more iron in their body than usual, a beneficial trait during a famine. This is only one of the many effects the Irish Famine had, a famine caused by infected potato crops. At least 1 million died, and almost twice that amount emigrated, many to America. Before the famine, 8 million people lived in Ireland. Currently, that number sits around 5 million, showing Ireland has never completely recovered from the catastrophe. It also fueled Irish nationalism, with Britain’s lackluster response intensifying resentment. Some historians even consider it a genocide, but others argue it was simply neglect.
The Chernobyl Disaster (1986)
Many consider the Chernobyl disaster to have been the most devastating nuclear accident in history. In 1986, the nuclear reactor failed, a meltdown that caused at least 30 deaths and the evacuation of at least 68,000 people. There were major design flaws in the reactor, but it was primarily caused by human error. A safety test was conducted during the night, by operators with insufficient training. The Soviet Union tried its best to cover it up, partially leading to Gorbachev’s Glasnost policy, which increased government transparency. While it wasn’t the direct cause of the Soviet Union’s fall, it contributed heavily. It also massively shifted public opinion on nuclear power.
The Black Death (1347-53)
Perhaps 50% of the population of Europe died during the 14th-century plague pandemic. It was initially carried by fleas living on rats. With little to no understanding of that fact, it decimated Europe. The immense death caused a severe labor shortage, which in turn caused food shortages. It weakened the power of feudal lords, shifting the balance of power from landowners to workers. Survivors bargained for better living conditions, higher wages, and more freedom. This shift also allowed the merchant class to grow, causing an increase in trade and industry in towns. Commerce was more valuable than land ownership, encouraging a consumer economy, and thus the rise of capitalism. So, without this pandemic, feudalism may have stuck around for longer.
Which disaster do you believe had the most profound effects on humanity’s trajectory? Let us know in the comments!
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